


Felony Tax Evasion

by Gues



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, King Frederic could perish and I would be glad: the saga, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Whump, local child has a mental breakdown and everyone suffers, the comfort is bad, though mostly him tbh, we hate andrew
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-22
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:42:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27150601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gues/pseuds/Gues
Summary: I'm curious what happened in the year Rapunzel was on her trip, so why not do a little speculation? And, while I'm at it, include some other characters in the fun?
Relationships: Andrew | Hubert & Lady Caine (Disney: Tangled), Andrew | Hubert & Varian (Disney: Tangled), Lady Caine & Varian (Disney)
Comments: 21
Kudos: 97





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Imagine an alternate universe where I had normal fucking titles

“We’ll get him help.” King Frederic said finally, staring sadly into the eyes of his family’s attacker. Never in his life would he have thought a child, of all people, would scare him as this one did. There were too many close calls, far too many for his liking, his loved ones, his citizens, all at the mercy of one boy. 

Rapunzel smiled and hugged him, a wave of relief coming over her. The king’s warm smile turned to a calm rage when he looked to the boy again, watching him get dragged into a small transport. He did not like what he had to do, but looking at the destruction around him, the hint of fear in his wife’s eyes, he felt he had no other choice. 

The ride back to the capital was quiet, nothing more aside from the shake of a few wagons pulling along the injured and supplies. Chatter grew among the citizens after a while, passing comments, complaints. No one dared speak of the boy traveling with them, lest they start unwanted conflict. Instead, they kept their thoughts to themselves, the only indicator of their growing rage being in the occasional glare sent his way. 

Silence returned as quickly as it had left when they reached the castle, all of the citizens settling into their homes and tending their wounds. Rapunzel gave a quick glance to Varian as he was drug into the dungeons, an emotion present the King could not make out, nor could he understand. She raced off to rejoin her friends and make preparations for her journey, leaving him and his wife to discuss the boy’s fate. 

“I know what you’re thinking, Frederic.” The queen said quietly, almost startling him and pulling him from his thoughts. “I do not want a child’s blood on our hands.” 

“He could have killed you.” 

“I’m aware of that.” Arianna stayed silent for a moment, then sighed. “Please, don’t hurt him. That’s all I ask.” 

She walked through the castle doors without another word.

“Where do you want us to take him, your majesty?” One of the guards asked, looking nervously between him and the child, as though he’d attack if he looked away too long. 

“High Security, anywhere with space.” The King attempted to meet Varian’s eyes when he spoke, in an attempt to figure out what was going through his head, the boy stared holes through the ground instead, refused to lift his head more than an inch. “Keep an eye on him.” 

The guard nodded and motioned to the two others holding him to move, shouting a quick order of direction and marching off to the prison, down the steps, and below the castle. 

“You should count yourself lucky.” One of the men said.

“What, that he’s letting me live?” Varian huffed. “I wouldn’t call that luck.” 

The man furrowed his brows, trying to make sense of his comment before deciding not to respond. 

“We don’t have any empty cells.” The third guard let go of him and looked around the block. “Looks like we’ll have to dump him with someone.”

“Lucky me.” Varian grumbled.

“Any takers for the kid?” The second guard kept a tight grip on both his shoulders as he showed him off, waiting for a reply from one of the cells. 

A snicker sounded from one in the back, a tall man pressing himself against the bars and looking him up and down. “What’d he do, steal candy from a baby?” 

Varian choked back a laugh of his own, though he couldn’t help the small smile that formed on his face at the irony of it all. The guard didn’t find it as amusing, glaring at the source of the comment.

“High treason, kidnapping, and attempted murder.” He deadpanned, silencing any joking tone before it began. “Those are just the first three.” 

The man whistled, staring to the side with wide eyes. He relaxed and smiled. “I’ll take him.” 

The guards, as well as Varian, seemed confused by his offer, wary. One of the guards relented, sighing. “Just don’t try anything.” 

Without warning, he was shoved into the cell with the man, falling over at the sudden push and crashing into him. He jumped back, flinching when the cell’s door slammed shut. The guards laughed at this, chattering to each other as they walked off. The man didn’t seem phased at all. Amused, if nothing else. 

“The name’s Andrew, nice to meet you.” He held out a hand to shake. “Look’s like we’ll be stuck together for a while.” 

Varian looked down at his hand, then back up at him, not sure if it was a trick of some sort, a way to lower his guard. If the citizens were ready to kill him on the spot, what would stop criminals. 

Andrew laughed. “Don’t worry, kid. I don’t bite.” 

Varian slowly lifted his hand and shook it, to stop the awkward introduction at the very least. 

“So, you’ve got quite the reputation I hear.” Andrew walked over to the back of the cell, plopping onto one of the cots and leaning back against the wall. “I’m assuming _you’re_ this ‘unstable alchemist’ I’ve heard so much about.” 

Varian didn’t respond, instead fiddling with his hands and looking back to the ground.

“Come on! It’s nothing to be embarrassed about! We’re all friends here, aren’t we?” 

Varian flinched at his question, something Andrew took note of, but did not respond. 

“You know, I’m really curious how exactly someone like _you,_ did all _that._ ” Andrew watched his reactions closely, figuring out what exactly he should say. “I mean, no offense, but you’re not exactly intimidating.” 

“I don’t need to be.” 

“Ah! He speaks!” Andrew mentally congratulated himself. “So, how’d the royals screw you over?” 

“Wha-- how did you--”

“It’s not too hard to figure out. Just about everyone here’s got beef with the royal family. Usually either the king or the princess, she really took after her father.” 

Varian huffed. “Yeah, she did.” 

“So it was her then?” 

“Both.” Varian paused for a moment, considering if he should keep talking. “She went along with him, at least.”

“Hm.” Andrew took another second to think, then stood up. He put a hand on the boy’s shoulder, slowly, not a hard motion in any way, yet he still flinched at the touch. “Sorry the royals suck so bad. Not much you can do about it I guess.” 

“Yeah, well, they’re a little more open to suggestion when you kidnap the queen.” 

Andrew did a double-take before barking out a laugh, hand still firmly on his shoulder as he used his free hand to wipe a tear from his eye. “You’re quite the character you know that?” 

Varian laughed awkwardly, visibly relieved when Andrew let go of him. The man sat back down on the cot, this time leaning forward and resting his arms across his thighs, hands held together. 

“Seriously though, why’d you do it?” He said finally, startling him again. “I mean, you’re just not the type.” 

“What do you mean ‘type’?” Varian asked, slightly offended.

“You know, ruthless, sadistic, no morals type. I don’t really see that in you. To be honest, you just look like a scared little kid to me.” 

Varian began fiddling with his hands again, looking to the ground. Despite himself, he took a step forward, closing the distance between them, trying and failing to stutter out a response.

“Hey, come on. You can tell me.” Andrew looked up at him, managing to meet his eyes, a warm smile present, the first he’d seen in a long time, “No one here can judge you.” 

With that, he finally cracked. Tears fell down his face, blurring his vision as he started to tremble. Andrew found it hard to stop the self-satisfied grin that tried to form on his face. 

“M-my dad.” He choked out. “I did it to save my dad.” 

Andrew raised an eyebrow, maintaining his concerned expression, though it was more curiosity if nothing else. 

“The rocks, they-- they were destroying my home. I tried-- I tried to fix it but-- but he ended up getting hurt-- everyone always gets hurt.” He choked back another sob, trying desperately to stay somewhat together. 

Andrew let go of his hands and let his arms fall, opening them up and waiting for the kid to finally break down. He did, knees shaking and giving out on him as he fell and hugged him tight. Varian didn’t know why he did it, he didn’t trust the man by any means, but this, this small gesture seemed to be enough for him, he needed this, he knew that much, even if he didn’t deserve it.

“The princess-- she was the only thing that could save him.” He sucked in a breath, no longer bothering to stop the tears as they fell. “She wouldn’t help me. This-- this was the only way I could get her to listen.” 

Andrew closed his arms around him, rubbing his hand up and down the boy’s back, silently wishing he had a change of clothes handy, or access to water so he could wash these. 

“I never wanted to hurt anyone.” The boy spoke at almost a whisper, a volume he could barely hear. “Everyone-- everyone always gets hurt.” 

Across from their cell, a woman peered from the bars, trying not to be noticed listening in. She wasn’t the only one spying on their conversation, she knew that much, though she thought the boy deserved some semblance of privacy in his moment of weakness, even if it were only fake. Her heart panged at the mention of his father, the negligence of the princess. It seemed she treated everyone the same, it did not matter the age, she shared no compassion to those that did not matter to her, even if they were merely children.

She huffed, not wanting to pull herself back into yet another sulk at her own resentment. She couldn’t focus on herself at all at the moment. Instead, her focus was entirely on the cell across from her, the boy crying in the arms of a man he barely knew, pouring his heart out as though he was unaware the man would take it and rip it to shreds. She narrowed her eyes, glaring at him, scoffing when he looked at her and smirked, as if he were showing off. Of all things to be proud of, manipulating an already broken child was not one of them. 

She looked away, not wanting to gaze at the scene any longer.

“What are you up to…”


	2. Chapter 2

_Rapunzel looked at him, a fiery rage in her eyes, hands in shaking fists as she saw her friend and mother in her peripheral vision. “That’s **enough,** Varian.”_

His eyes narrowed. How is this what finally gets her attention? After everything, every request and plead for her help and the only thing that ever got her to listen was a knife to her throat and threats to her loved ones. Why was that his only option?

_“Give me the flower Varian. We can find a way to fix this, the rocks, your father, I promise you. I **promise.** ”_

It took every fiber in his being not to punch the wall. He knew the effort would be in vain, it would hurt his hand, for one, and it might wake up his cellmate, or worse, alert one of the guards. It would feel good at the very least.

_“I defied a direct order from my father, the **king.** We both broke the **law.** ”_

Varian gripped his sleeves and rolled his eyes. When was the law a concern for her? She’d never been the type to stay quiet when help was needed, she had the reputation for defying her father when she knew it was right. Why was he different? Why did him and his father not count in her protection of Corona? Were they not citizens too?

_“This is not the way...please.”_

He gripped his sleeves tighter. After she’d spoken her promise, he’d blocked everything out. He could hear the sound of metal clanging toward the door, hefty boots marching to kick it down and take him in, but he did not hear her plead. He’d ignored it, just like she had. Tears welled up in his eyes. She had tried, maybe it was far too late for the effort, but she’d tried. Maybe...maybe if he had stayed they wouldn’t be in this position. Maybe, after all this, she would have kept her promise. 

_“Varian!” Rapunzel pulled him into a tight hug, not noticing how he made no move to return it, how he did not move at all. “Varian, I’m glad you’re ok! I was so worried about you.”_

He wasn’t sure what hurt more, the fact that she cared, genuinely cared, or that the compassion was only there after he’d risked everything to see her, that the compassion was there, but it wasn’t enough for her to even look for him. Why hadn’t she looked for him? Weren’t they friends? He pulled his head to his knees, choking back a quiet sob, making sure no one could hear him when he started to cry.

* * *

After the...incident from the day before Varian seemed to have reverted. He didn’t say more than a few words, usually one word comments when the need arose. From what he could guess, the kid hadn’t slept a wink, he looked like he was about to fall over. It could simply be first-night paranoia, though he suspected it was out of habit more than nothing else. He hadn’t eaten the food offered either, instead pushing in his direction. 

That didn’t concern him, at least that’s what he told himself. Considering how hard Andrew had to fight himself not to nurture this child back to a state of mental stability, it was a miracle that blasted princess and her ‘compassion’ didn’t kick in simply at the sight of him. It didn’t concern him, but the quietness was starting to. He wasn’t very useful in that dissociative state. 

“Some friends of mine are gonna break us out soon.” Andrew said suddenly, pulling them both from their thoughts. The kid jumped and looked over to him. 

Varian frowned and looked back at the ground. “How long have you been here exactly? If they haven’t shown up yet, I doubt they ever will.” 

Andrew silently celebrated, finally hearing the first full sentence from him in a while. “They just need the right opportunity.”

“What? An attack on the kingdom, distracting the majority of the guards to deal with the threat?” Varian chuckled. “Sorry to tell you, but you just missed it.” 

“Ha ha very funny. That’s not what I meant.” Andrew’s head perked up at the sight of a guard. “That’s what I was talking about.” 

“A guard? How could that possibly be--”

“Heya Hubert.” The guard saluted, a crooked smile on her face. 

Andrew smirked. “Juniper. How long has it been?” 

“Hmm three months.” 

Varian glanced at the two of them. “You _know_ her?” 

The woman, Juniper, quirked an eyebrow. “Who’s the toddler?”

“Right! Varian,” Andrew looked over to the kid, then to the guard. “This is Juniper, one of the friends I was talking about. Juniper, this is Varian.” 

“Aww you think of me as a friend.” Juniper laughed. “So what’d he do to end up here? Steal a lollipop?” 

“Ha, no. Close though. What was it that guard said?” 

“High treason, kidnapping, and attempted murder. Those are just the first three.” Varian spoke in a deep voice, a small smile forming at Andrew’s responding snort. 

“Damn. Kids these days and their fancy felonies.” Juniper leaned against a wall. “So what’s the revised plan, since I’m assuming you want him on our little team.” 

“Hm. Hey, kid--”

“I have a name you know.” 

“Hairstripe, got anything that could take out a hoard of guards?” 

Varian thought for a moment. “I’ve got some knock-out dust in my lab?” 

“No, I meant like _bombs--_ you know what, no that’ll work. June, I need you to go grocery shopping.” 

“Gee, thanks. Nice to see I’m useful. What else do you need besides pixie dust? A jug of milk? Some bread and cheese? A magic wand?” Juniper groaned. “Where even is the kid’s ‘lab’ anyway?” 

“Old Corona. The worn down castle at the town’s center.” Varian spoke up, tone more serious than the joking one the two had established. 

“You mean the town covered in those stupid spikes? Worst shopping trip I’ve ever been sent on, thanks.” 

“Oh stop complaining. At least you’re on _that_ side of the bars.” Andrew flicked one of the bars in front of him, making a loud clang sound. 

Juniper rolled her eyes. “Alright, I’ll be back in a week with some fairy dust.” 

She gave a quick salute and walked away, making sure to glare twice as hard at Caine when the two met eyes. Caine watched as Varian asked question after question, Andrew’s perceived celebration at the child’s interest turning to annoyance the more curious he got. 

“Kid, seriously, it’s not that complicated. She hops over here with your bag of tricks, we take out a few guards, and get the hell out of dodge.” 

“What do you mean by...take out?”

There. That very moment, that phrasing, it made them both stop in their tracks. He’d have to answer carefully, she knew that any poorly thought out lie would be caught in an instant. She found herself hoping he’d slip up. Maybe if he pissed the kid off enough she could convince the guards to have him switched over to her cell, at least then it would be harder for Andrew to get in his head. 

She stopped. When had she gotten so invested in someone she’d never even spoken too? Let alone a kid? She shook her head, shoving her concerns to the back of her mind and going back to watching the two interact. If Andrew messed up, then he messed up. It didn’t matter. 

“Well, you said that pixie dust of your’s knocks people out cold right? We’ll just use some of that, tie 'em up and dump ‘em in a closet somewhere while we escape.” 

Varian hummed, wheels visibly turning in his head as he contemplated any hidden thought behind what the man had said. 

“Ok.” He said finally, whether he had not seen the lie in his words or given up on trying to find it, neither of them knew, but it was clear Andrew didn’t care. 

“You know, for someone’s who’s list of crimes include attempted murder, I wouldn’t have guessed you to be the ‘no violence’ type.” 

Varian glanced at him, then drew his head to his knees. “I didn’t want to hurt anyone.” 

Andrew huffed. “Of course you didn’t.” 

They both shot up at the sound of someone banging against the bars. 

“Oi, kid, king wants to speak with you.” The man said, glaring down at him with some sense of superiority, as if the child’s mannerisms were something he was glad to see. 

“What does he want?” Varian asked, both disdain and curiosity present in his voice.

“How should I know? They still haven’t decided what to do with you.” The guard opened up the cell door and grabbed his wrist, yanking him out of the cell and slamming metal cuffs together with enough force to let out a loud clang.

Varian winced. “You don’t have to be that forceful, you know.” 

“And your little monster didn’t have to land my friend in the infirmary.” He started to pull him down the hallway. “Consider this my revenge.”

He stayed silent, at that, glancing to the side, a look of guilt on his face. If the man saw it, he didn’t comment on it, instead tugging him by his chains out of high security. 

“What the hell are you doing Hubert?” Caine said once the door had slammed shut.

“What ever could you mean, Caine? What’s so bad about comforting a friend?” 

“What exactly do you have to gain by bringing a child in on your little schemes?” 

Andrew snorted. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Sure, that brain of his would be... _very_ useful, but I’m simply just giving the kid what he deserves, freedom. Would you prefer it if we left him here to rot?” 

She narrowed her eyes and glared, but said nothing. 

“Hmph, that’s what I thought.”

* * *

“Sit down, son.” Frederic said with a smile, one they both knew was forced. He waved Arianna from the room. She seemed genuinely happy he was there, which he found odd. 

“What do you want?” Varian asked once she’d shut the door behind them, more aggressively than he probably should have considering the man held his life in his hands. 

“Well, that’s a difficult question. I want you as far from my wife and daughter as possible, I want you behind bars, at least 10 guards watching your every move, I want you _dead._ I doubt any of that would be possible at the moment.” 

“Aw, what happened to being lenient with kids? Wasn’t that always a policy of yours?”

“You aren’t a child anymore. You’re a murderer, and I will not tolerate any more harm to my people, no matter its source.” 

“I didn’t kill _anyone._ ”

“Then what else could be said about Quirin? He was your father, was he not? And yet you let him die in your own ambition.” 

“I did all of this to _save_ him! I’ve done more about these rocks than any of you!-- We wouldn’t _be_ here if you had just done something!” The guard holding his chains yanked at them, making a move to keep him seated. “It’s _your_ fault he’s in that amber. You brought this on us, the lives lost are on your head. You can blame it on me as much as you want, but it won’t help.” 

Frederic sighed. “I think we’ve gotten ahead of ourselves. We’re here to discuss your sentence.”

“What, like I’m actually getting a say in the matter?” 

“You’re not. My wife insisted I speak with you before coming to a decision.” He paused. “She’s been very… protective of you. Why, I’m not sure.” 

He seemed to relax at that statement, calm down at the very least. He was confused more than anything. Of all people she should be the one cheering on his execution, so why defend him?

“You’ll be staying in high security. Two extra guards will be placed in front of your block, the two assigned will be keeping an eye on you and you alone, the rest will be in charge of the block as a whole. As per my wife and daughter’s insistence, you’re going to be receiving help.”

“With..what exactly?”

“Your mental health. Maybe if you see a professional enough they can fix whatever is wrong with you.” 

If not for the guard holding him down, and the three other guards staring holes through his back he may have strangled the man before he could finish. He gave the idea some thought, for his own amusement at least, then spoke.

“Wow, going easy on me, aren’t you Freddy?” 

“Don’t convince me to do otherwise.” 

They stayed silent for a moment, taking in the intensity of his words, threats left unspoken, desired actions left in the back of each of their minds, both remaining still where they sat.

“What about my father?” 

Frederic raised a brow, questioning him silently.

“You said he was your friend. Are you going to help him, or will you just ignore it like the rest of my village?” 

“Your father has been dead for months. Even if I _could_ manage to find a way to free him, I’d be doing nothing more than bringing back a corpse for us to bury.” 

“Doesn’t he at least deserve that much?” 

They fell back into silence, the king deciding what to say, Varian waiting patiently for what he knew would be disappointment.

“I believe that is all.” Frederic said finally, motioning for the guard to take him away. 

The man yanked him into a standing position, letting out a quick huff of laughter when he yelped at the sudden movement, then started to pull him toward the door.

“Oh, and Varian?” 

The guard stopped.

“I wouldn’t try to escape. Arianna cannot protect you from what I will do when you’re caught.” 

The guard pulled him from the room and slammed the door shut behind him, the king’s words echoing louder than the wooden frame against stone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey I don't know if you guys noticed but I really don't like the king :)))))
> 
> Also how would you guys feel if I kept the first chapter’s notes in the entire fic because it applies to the entire thing


	3. Chapter 3

Conversations came to a halt the second the metal door was slammed open by one of the guards, the other keeping a tight grip onto Varian’s chains. Andrew smiled, doing a quick analysis of the child’s change in mannerism, taking a mental note of the wave of rage he seemed to be giving off. He wasn’t too surprised, the king had that effect on people, the egotistical dunce that he was. Normally, he’d respect that kind of behavior, but with him it just...hit different. It was gross. 

“Hey kid, how was your talk with the big man?” 

“Riveting.” He muttered as they threw him back in his cell, slamming the bars shut behind him. “I’ve got my own personal guards now, _and_ I’m getting ‘help’.” 

“Damn, that’ll make things more difficult.” 

“Not really, so long as the guards stay outside the block, discussing plans shouldn’t be difficult, and it's just a few more people to knock out after that.” Varian sat down on the cott opposite Andrew and rubbed his wrists. They really didn’t bother replacing chains that often did they? 

Andrew shrugged. “Guess so.”

They stayed silent for a moment, Andrew contemplating the information given and Varian contemplating murder. Andrew was the first to speak.

“Did he specify what he meant by getting you ‘help’?”

“Oh, um, he never did. Just said he was going to ‘fix whatever was wrong with me’.” Varian imitated the king’s voice, an effort to lighten the mood again, but found it difficult to subdue the growing nervousness at the man’s concerns. “Why, what are my options here?” 

Andrew hummed, deciding whether or not to elaborate. “Not sure, really. I guess we’ll find out soon.” 

The rest of the day was quiet, uneventful, though he shouldn’t have found himself surprised. What exactly could happen in a prison cell like this, all the other prisoners trying to keep themselves entertained, occasionally talking with one of the men nearby. They rarely even glanced in his direction, which was something he found interesting. Was it because of his age, or his record, maybe both? 

Either way, he couldn’t exactly ask them about it. Instead, he chose to entertain himself by staring at a wall and counting the cracks and abnormalities that appeared. Such a boring and repetitive action allowed the lack of sleep he’d gotten over the last several days to catch up to him, so when the sun set and the other prisoners fell asleep, he found himself slumping his head against a wall, shutting his eyes, and falling asleep as well.

* * *

_The smell was the first thing he recognized. It was always the first thing. The amber melted away when he drilled, oxygen, bacteria, all coming into contact with his father’s preserved body and going through the stages of decomposition at a rapid pace. He looked away, stopping the drill and hoping that turning away from it would get rid of that nauseating smell. The princess wasn’t faring much better, she looked like she was going to pass out, throw up, maybe both._

_“Varian--” Arianna started to say, gasping when the amber coiled around her ankle. Rapunzel couldn’t take anymore from the drill, he wouldn’t be able to get her free._

_Frederic had a different reaction than his wife and daughter, who had already resigned themselves to their fates. He gripped tight to his swords hilt, a look of fury in his eyes. “How dare you.”_

_Varian felt a chill run down his spine, the amber continued to melt away, behind him his father was free, free at last but he couldn’t care, he’d lost all resolve, nothing left but a primal fear of the man in front of him, sword aimed and prepared to strike._

_“How dare you hurt the ones I love!” He screamed, voice booming and echoing on the stone walls. He ripped himself free of the sludge on his feet and slashed at his neck, hot blood splashed on cold stone, his final moments, witnessed by a woman who was going to die at his hand, her daughter, passed out on the floor, and the man responsible for every bit of suffering he’d ever endured._

_There were three seconds he spent contemplating his demise, painfully short yet agonizingly long at the same time. Such a quick motion, merciful, for what he knew the king was capable of, yet he spent those three long, drawn out seconds soaking in the agony like water to a sponge, clinging on to his last moments of life, however terrible they may be, it was all he had left, this was all he had left, this was what he would be remembered for, this was what he had turned into, a monster, a villain to slay, nothing more than another box to check on their list of people to get rid of--_

Varian shot up from his cot and looked around, everyone was asleep. He drew his knees into his chest and tried to quiet the inevitable sobs that caught in his throat. 

“Oi, think you could quiet it down a little over there?” 

Varian yelped at the sudden noise, turning his head over to its source. Andrew, one eye open and looking at him with an expression of annoyance, was the one to meet his gaze. 

“Look, I get you’ve got your issues, but could you at least be a little quieter about them?” 

He drew his knees in tighter and hid his face. “Sorry.” 

“Just when I thought you couldn’t be more of a dick.” 

Varian shot up again at the new voice, a woman’s voice, coming from the cell across from them. “Shit, ok, who’s actually awake here?”

“Oh I bet the whole block with your whining.” Andrew muttered, he could practically feel Caine’s responding glare. 

“Go back to sleep Hubert.” She spat out, then scooted to the edge of her cot, so she was more visible in the crack of light that the moon gave. 

“Yeah yeah I’m sleepin’.” 

Caine and Varian stared at each other for a moment, Varian being the first to give up and turn away. 

“It’s ok, you know. It doesn’t actually bother anyone.” She said suddenly. “Andrew just likes to be a jerk to people.” 

“Does he have two names or something?” Varian chose to change the subject, something Caine caught on to rather fast.

“There’s a lot of criminals out there with embarrassing names. Anyone worth their while will change it to something less stupid the second they’re given the opportunity.” Caine snickered. “His real name’s Hubert though, call him that.” 

“I’d prefer it if you didn’t.” Andrew called out, eyes still shut. 

Caine’s snicker turned to a quiet laugh, then silence again. 

“I had nightmares too, when I was a kid.” She started to say, already regretting the words once they left her mouth. “About my father being dragged away in chains, the way the guards looked at me, waiting for me to act out as well, sometimes about my angered response.”

Varian relaxed slightly, pushing himself forward to the edge of his own cot, directly in front of the bars. 

“Everyone here has problems, and I’m sure the people out there do too. I still have nightmares about that day, or other things that particularly stuck to me. Those sort of things don't go away after you turn ten.” She paused again, still unsure of what she was doing, or why. “Do you want to talk about it? 

“I…” He started to say, before turning to the side and staying quiet. 

“I heard about what happened to your father.” 

He looked up and met her eyes. 

“The guards talked about it for a bit, after the princess found out. Plus, um” She rubbed the back of her neck. “Those bars aren’t exactly soundproof.” 

She couldn’t really see his face, with how dark the block was, but if she had to guess, he was probably embarrassed about it. She mentally kicked herself for mentioning it, but pressed on. 

“Was it about him?” She asked quietly, at first questioning if he could even hear her.

“No,” He responded at a similar volume. “It was at first, then it was different.”

She leaned forward onto her arms, hands held together and balanced on her legs, waiting for him to continue.

“It...it started with him. He was free, dead, but free. It wasn’t really him that scared me.” He paused, looking up at her to see how she reacted. There was no expression on her face, so he warily continued. “The amber reached the queen, I was going to end up killing her as well. And Fre-- the king, was _furious._ He killed me, that’s when I woke up.” 

She stayed quiet, still, something he found unnerving. The only change in her demeanor being the slight crack of her mouth to a frown. 

“I’ve never had a nightmare about me before, it was always about him.” He looked to the side and said in a whisper. “It was...different.” 

Caine hummed. She didn’t think she’d even get this far, now she had no clue what to do. Her first instinct was to give a quick pat on the back and avoid any vocal comfort, but the kid never seemed the type for physical contact, and she couldn’t just walk over and do that. 

“Are you scared of him?” She asked instead. “The king, I mean.” 

“Yeah.” 

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, he’s a coward.” 

“What?”

“Seriously, he plays this whole tough act in front of his family, and all the laws he enforces make him _seem_ like this big scary guy but the second you threaten him personally he starts shaking in his boots.” 

“He, er, was pretty still when I trapped him in goop and made fun of him for twenty minutes straight.” 

“Alright that's it you’re getting a cell change.” 

Varian snorted and laughed into his knees, not noticing the quirked up smile that Caine had when she saw the shake of his shoulders, mentally congratulating herself for a job well done. 

“If that king causes any trouble for you, I’ll start a riot here and now. Just say the word.” 

“Oh! Um” He looked up again, fiddling with his hands. “Thanks, I think?” 

“Kid, if I get to punch that jackass in the nuts, it's no problem on my end.” She laughed at the image that popped in her head, the mental version of the king doubling over onto the crown and crying like a baby. 

Varian smiled softly, looking over at her while her eyes were shut tight. He was so used to dealing with these things alone, he’d forgotten how good it felt to have someone there. Now that the residual fear was gone, he felt tired again. He leaned to the side, head falling slowly against the wall and arms loosening their grip around his legs. His eyes fell shut, and he went back to sleep.

“Oh, kid, before you get any ideas about this whole talk--” Caine stopped. He was already asleep. _Damnit._

* * *

“Hey, your friend’s back.” Andrew said loudly, making Varian wake up. 

Varian blinked his eyes open and looked up to the other side of the bars. A guard met his eyes, those damned cuffs swinging in his hand. He groaned and slumped his head against the back wall, contemplating getting up and dealing with whatever it was the man had in mind before the guard slammed his hand against one of the bars. He jumped and reluctantly stood up.

Andrew barked out a laugh as the guard swung open the door and slammed the cuffs on Varian’s wrists. “Good luck kid.”

“What’s going on?” Caine asked once the two had left. “Are him and the king having afternoon tea everyday or?” 

“Part of his sentence is ‘getting him help’.” Andrew made quotation marks with his hands. 

“The hell does that mean?” Caine muttered, glaring at the door at the end of their block

“Do you think I know?” Andrew shrugged. “Could be anywhere from actual _hell_ to whatever you two were doing last night.” 

“You mean... talking?”

“Yeah, like the gross mushy kind.” He laughed. “I hope that’s what it is, that way he’ll have someone else to cry to. I’m already tired of hearing it.” 

“Yeah yeah you’re an apathetic jackass who can’t stand talking about things that don’t relate to you, we get it.” 

“Oh, well, I’m so sorry I can’t sit here and talk about my feelings at fuck all in the morning.” 

“You can certainly talk about _your_ feelings for hours on end.” Caine groaned. “Oh...woe is me...the preteen that’s stuck in a cell with me won’t feed my giant ego!! He’s too focused on it being his first week in prison...how tragic!” 

“Are you done?” 

Caine draped herself over her cot and put a hand on her forehead, faked a sob for a moment, then sat back up. “Yep. Now we can talk business.”

“What do you mean by that?” 

“Well, me and some other guys in this block here were talking while you slept in till two in the afternoon, and we’ve decided we’re joining your little breakout plan.”

“And what makes you think I’ll let you?” 

“If you don’t I’ll tell the guards about Juniper.” She smiled. “You’re really bad at this, by the way. Very loud.” 

“Excuse you I-- well actually you have a point.” 

“What? I’m sorry I didn’t quite hear that.” Caine cupped a hand around her ear and leaned forward. “Did my old pal Hubie just say he was wrong about something?” 

“No, and don’t call me that.” Andrew frowned. “It’s not just a breakout. Not sure how I’m going to get the kid in on this, but we’re overthrowing the king too.” 

“Oh _now_ you’ve piqued my interest.” Caine chickled. “So, how about this. You agree to break us all out, and I’ll give you enough manpower to overtake this whole damned castle.” 

“I don’t think that ragtag team of your’s in here is all that much.” Andrew glanced over to a few of her men, those who occupied the rest of the block.

“I’ve got more to work with than just them. Send a message through Juniper and you’ll have a good fifty people waiting for an order to strike.” 

Andrew raised his eyebrows and tilted his head side to side. “Alright, it’s a deal.” 

“Perfect.” 

They fell back into silence, listening to the occasional quick and quiet conversation of the other prisoners a few cells down. Caine fiddled with a chipped piece of the wall, a small rock, while Andrew laid down on his cot and took a nap. They both looked up when the door slammed open, the guard tugging Varian along and back to his cell. 

He was different, quiet, a look of sheer terror on his face. She hated to say it, but she wasn’t surprised, she’d assumed whatever it was the king had in mind wasn’t good. Her eyes went wide when he finally reached his cell and was shoved inside, falling into Andrew when the man stood up to greet him, hugging him and shaking violently. Andrew lifted his hands and looked at them, bright red staining his palms. 

“There’s blood on your shirt.” He said quietly, Varian hugged him tighter. 

Caine slammed her hands against the bars, though she regretted that motion when Varian jumped. “What the hell did you do?!” 

“I didn’t do anything.” The guard laughed. “Though honestly, I’m kind of jealous.” 

“You’re dead!” She yelled, not caring how little the guard seemed to be affected by the threat. “You hear me? The second I step out here I’ll slit your fucking throat!” 

The guard rolled his eyes and walked away, slamming the door shut again behind him. Andrew slowly led Varian to his cot and sat them both down, less annoyed when he started to cry, though he’d never say that out loud. He looked up at Caine, who looked ready to explode at any minute, and back down at Varian, trying his best not to look at all the blood and bruises that littered across his back and arms. 

“We’re breaking out soon.” He said in a whisper. “Just another week, and then we’re out.” 

Varian didn’t respond, only giving a slight nod to indicate he’d even heard him.

“Caine’s joining us.” He spoke again, in a tone that he’d just realized indicated comfort. Ew. 

“She is?” Varian asked, at a volume he could barely hear. 

Andrew sighed. “Yeah. Just another week. Just hold on till then, ok?” 

“Ok.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Caine: Every day I move the bar that much lower, yet somehow the Coronan Justice System keeps limbo-ing under it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **TW for cutting, drugging, and torture.**

Varian awoke to a loud bang. When had he fallen asleep? A few seconds passed and he managed to get a grip on where he was, what had happened, pain flooding in all over, both physical and mental once he’d realized how he’d ended up there. He started to push himself off of-- wait.

“Gods you’re clingy.” Andrew muttered, huffing out a laugh when Varian practically flew off him, his face going completely red.

“Are you done yet?” The guard, most likely the source of the noise that woke him up. 

“What are you--” Varian started to say, his eyes fell on the chains in the man’s hands. “Oh.”

The guard slid open the entrance to his cell and yanked him out by his wrist before he could protest going with hip, slamming the chains shut and pulling him out without a word. He caught a glance at Caine before he left, anger he’d seen once in his life shone in her eyes, an ice cold death glare that sent shivers down his spine, even though it wasn’t directed at him. He yelped when the guard shut the door behind them and jerked him down a series of steps to a small cell in the back of a hallway.

At this point it felt like he was being rough on purpose, not that that was a large mental leap to make, the man slamming open the cell's thick wooden door and kicking him inside.

It was dark, the only light in the room after the door was shut and locked was a small lantern hung on one of the walls. The stone that surrounded him was thick, but old, small bits of it crumbling and falling to the floor, water dripping down from the cracks it left behind. It smelled awful, like the kind of place no one so much as bothered to clean after the day it was built, dried cracking blood littered all over the walls and floor. If he had to guess, some of it could be his.

“Hello again.” A voice spoke from the darkness, the small amount of light in the room illuminating his face, a calm smile present on it. It made him sick. 

Varian jumped back, pressing his back against the door, making himself as small as he could manage. 

“Why so scared?” The man laughed, walking toward him and leaning down to meet his eyes. “I’m not here to hurt you.” 

“You-- you did.” Varian managed to get out, sliding down the door until he was on the ground. 

The man shrugged. “Well, I wasn’t lying. I’m not here to _hurt_ you. I’m here to fix you.” He grabbed Varian’s chains and yanked him up, dragging him over to a chair and forcing him down. 

“So uh-- you’re not holding me down this time?” Varian asked nervously, noticing the lack of restraints on the chair. 

“I won’t need to. Yesterday was a test, clearly normal methods don’t do much other than scare you, and that’s not very useful. So instead, we’ll be trying something different.” He took a syringe from a table to the side of him and inspected it.

“What-- what’s in that?” Varian asked, more urgently this time, gripping the end of his chair till his knuckles turned white. 

“You’ll see.” Was all the man said before he slammed the syringe into his arm. 

Varian hissed in pain, gritting his teeth and squeezing his eyes shut. The syringe was ripped out again, a hot, bubbling stream of blood sliding down his arm and dripping onto the ground. He clenched his jaw, the sudden wave of nausea following the motion making him gag. 

The man grabbed his face, one hand gripped tightly on his chin and lifted it up to meet his eyes. “So, boy, did you, or did you not murder your father?” 

“I...I didn’t. He’s not _dead._ ” Varian found the words came out slower than before, slurring and barely managing to push themselves out. He opened his eyes, watching the man double and sway like he was watching him through water.

The man let go of his face and slapped him. “Wrong answer. Did you, or did you not kill your father?” 

“I didn’t... _kill_ him. I told you that already.” Varian let out a shaking breath, blinking his eyes slowly open and shut.

“And each time you lie.” He sighed, gripped the boy’s hair, pulled his head back, and punched him in the stomach. “You end up making things worse for yourself.”

“I’m not--” Varian choked and gasped. “I’m not lying.” 

The man clicked his tongue and shook his head. “How long will you continue to deny your wrongdoings. I’m not exactly making it difficult for you, am I?” 

“I never-- I never hurt him.” He looked up, just a quick glance, and caught something in the corner of his eye. A large, imposing figure he recognized based on the blurry shape alone. He shut his eyes again, shaking. 

He paused, looking down at the boy. “What’s got you so scared all of the sudden?”

“I...I just don’t want you to hurt me.” He answered, his voice quivering slightly as his eyes shot up periodically to the second figure.

“Why are you looking to the back of the room?” The man turned around, then looked back at him. “There’s nothing there.”

Varian didn’t respond, eyes now completely focused on the back corner.

He smiled. “You see him, don’t you?” 

Varian bit his lip, choking back a sob. 

“Hard to deny your guilt when you see him standing right there, huh?” He leaned down, smile growing wider. “You know where he is, don’t you? You know what really happened, why don’t you tell me?” 

Varian bit his lip harder, blood starting to trail down his chin.

“Come on, the sooner you confess the better it’ll be for you.” 

“Dad, please don’t let him hurt me!--” 

The man sighed, grabbed his head and slammed it back against the chair. Loud ringing sounds flooded his senses, a muffled, watery voice saying things he couldn’t quite make out. He felt something...warm. Warm, hot liquid on his arm, the shine of a blade glinting in his eye. There was a dull burning sensation that followed, the cloudy pain making him wince, but it all felt so...distant. 

He glanced over to his father, a lifeless look in his eyes to match, but instead of being laced with fear, there was something else lying beneath. Anger, sadness maybe? No, no that wasn’t it. Disappointment. Was it to him? It had to be, the way the man’s gaze practically burned into his skull, but why? He hadn’t hurt him, he swore he hadn’t, he wasn’t dead after all, he did this, all of this, to bring him back. But maybe...maybe he was wrong. 

More burning liquid dripped to the ground this time, not as thick as the one before, this one light, coming in small drops trailing down his face. He was crying. The sudden realization of his father’s state, the state he had caused hit him harder than the guards ever had, hurt more than the knives cutting across his skin. He was dead. He was dead, and it was all his fault. 

Everything, _everything_ was his fault. He’d been fighting for a corpse, he’d killed a man, his own father, and had taken it out on everyone else. It was all his fault, everything was all his fault-- 

“It’s...it’s my fault.” Varian muttered under his breath, quiet enough they almost missed it. 

The man motioned for the guard to stop before turning to look at Varian. “Did you kill Quirin of Old Corona?” 

“...yes.” 

“There we are! Not so hard now was it?” He smiled. “The rocks as well, you were the cause of those, correct?” 

That wasn’t right. He’d been trying to get rid of the rocks, he hadn’t put them there. But...he’d been trying to save his father, and he’d killed him, he could have caused this too. He didn’t know, he wasn’t sure, everything was just so muddled. 

He nodded.

“Now _this_ is what we call progress. And in such a short time too.” The man chuckled, looking over to the guard beside him. “Leave him here for the night, you can take him back to his cell in the morning.” 

The guard nodded and left the room shutting the door once the man left with him. Someone had shown up after that, when or who he wasn’t sure, but there were bandages on his arms, and the room had been cleared. He blacked in and out, shutting his eyes and opening them again a few minutes, sometimes hours later, each time met with the cold icy glare his father sent down to him. He’d shut his eyes because he was tired, but more than that, because he couldn’t stand to look at him. 

The pain started to fade back in, the fuzzy burning in his arms turning to blazing hot fire, the urge to simply rip the bandages from his arms difficult to fight, but he doubted they’d be willing to replace them if he did. He curled in on himself, only irritating the bruises on his stomach further, but did so nonetheless, and forced himself to fall asleep.

* * *

“He’s been gone for way too long.” Caine muttered, breaking the silence that had formed between them. The sun was starting to set, orange rays flooding and bouncing against the metal bars, at just the right position to shine in her eyes. 

Andrew hummed, not sure how to respond. He didn’t particularly care for the kid, not in the slightest really. He’d cry all the time, sometimes quiet where he couldn’t notice, sometimes loud enough he couldn’t drown it out, he’d have panic attacks, some so bad he had no choice but to calm him down so the guards wouldn’t burst down the door and beat the shit out of them, he was annoying, a liability. But then he thought back to how he looked the day before, bloodied and bruised, wide red lines across his back, purple splotches in between, and he couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. He was annoying, sure, but he didn’t deserve that, no one did. 

“When is your stupid friend gonna pop back up I can’t _stand_ this.” Caine banged the back of her head against the wall, groaning and shutting her eyes. 

“Who? Juniper? She’ll be back in a week.” 

“That damned town is only an hour away, I don’t see why it’d take her that long.” 

“Sneaking in and out of prison as a guard isn’t exactly _easy_ you know.” 

Caine rolled her eyes. “She’s just not any good at it.” 

Andrew sighed. “You’re a pleasure to talk to, as always.” 

The sun set below the windows, the bright shine of light in their eyes finally fading. Andrew slowly slid down the wall until he was laying on his cot and shut his eyes. Caine sat up, leaning her head against the bars and looking out to the door at the end of the block, listening to every step the guards made outside, hoping she’d hear one shove open the door and toss the kid back in his cell. Not that she wanted to see _that_ , it’d be nice if they didn’t treat him like a human ragdoll, but she could only hope for so much. 

It wasn’t long, or it didn’t _feel_ long before the moon’s light poured into her cell. It had to be late, late enough she knew he wouldn’t be coming back anytime soon. Logically that meant she should at least attempt to sleep, she’d only be wasting time otherwise, yet she couldn’t find herself able to. What if they came in the middle of the night, what if it was early morning before any of them were awake? More So than that it was _because_ of her constant worrying she couldn’t sleep, so instead she opted to simply stare out at the moon, counting the stones along the walls until there was a knock on the door. 

The knock didn’t come till morning.

It was more like a kick really, followed by a long creak, the guard that dragged Varian back into the block shoving open the door, waking up everyone inside. Caine shot up instantly, looking him over to see how bad it ended up being. It wasn’t good, not in the slightest, but they’d had the decency to patch him up afterward, and she’d take what she could get. 

He was quiet, not that he’d talked all that much the last time he’d been brought back. This time just felt...different, there was an empty look in his eyes, no fear, no anger, no sadness, just...nothing.

“Welcome back kid.” Andrew forced a smile as he was tossed inside the cell, the reaction to the rough motion so small he almost thought he was asleep. 

Varian blinked, but other than that showed no response, not even pushing himself up from the floor. Andrew frowned and kneeled down, pulling him up and setting him down on his cot. 

“Are you…” He started to say, slowly giving up on his effort to get the boy’s attention. He glanced over to Caine, silently asking for her help on the matter, though from how she looked at him she didn’t know much either. 

He sighed, dragged his hand down his face and walked back over to his cot, muttering something about not wanting to deal with emotional bullshit, to which Caine rolled her eyes. Varian didn’t say a word, not for the first few hours at least, seemingly entertained by the walls more than the people around him. 

“What’s your plan?” He said suddenly, quiet enough they could barely hear but startling to them all the same. “For breaking out, I mean.” 

“We knock out the guards at the end of our block, then slip through the bottom floor security, once we get to the grates there’s a passage we can all take that leads straight to the throne room.” 

“Ah, so we _aren’t_ just escaping.” 

“Oh-- shit um--” 

“It’s a stupid plan.” 

Andrew blinked. “What?” 

“We’re in high security for a reason, I doubt we’d be able to make it halfway to any exit before getting hounded.” 

“So what do you suggest, _genius?_ ” 

“There’s an entrance to a series of tunnels just down the hall from here, it connects to every floor in this prison, and to one that leads close to the throne room. If we get there fast enough we’ll only have to deal with a few guards, and they won’t be able to follow us.” 

“Tunnels? You mean like Herz Der Sonne’s tunnels? The ones with deadly traps and complex systems you can’t go through without a map? Those tunnels?” 

“No, I’m talking about the fun tunnels you go to for parties and orgies, _yes_ those tunnels.” 

Andrew choked, taking a second to recollect himself. It’s not that the comment itself caught him off guard as much as the person saying it. Seeing the kid not blubber and cry for once was an interesting, though honestly welcome, change. “What about the traps? None of us know our way through those tunnels.”

“I’ve got a pretty good memory, and I got a decent look at the maps when I went through them last.” 

“You’ve...you’ve been through those before? You’ve seen the maps in the back of the book?” 

“Yes, I have, keep up.” 

Andrew and Caine met eyes, both looking shocked and confused, though neither said anything. 

“So I’ll take us through the tunnels and get us to the throne room. Sounds like a plan.” Varian gave a quick thumbs up and slumped his head against the stone wall, groaning and muttering something about a headache. 

The two looked at eachother again before Andrew turned back to Varian. “Alright kid, let’s go with that. Just one more week and we’re out of this shithole.” 

“One more week…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took. Way too long to write out. I'm very bad at writing whumps please forgive me.

**Author's Note:**

> In this household we despise Andrew


End file.
